View source for Wassenaar Arrangement

{{Short description|1996 multilateral export control regime}}
{{distinguish|Wassenaar Agreement}}
[[File:Wassenaar Arrangement members map.svg|thumb|350px|right|Participating states of the Wassenaar Arrangement]]
{{Non-proliferation, Disarmament, & Arms control}}
The '''Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies,''' also known simply as the '''Wassenaar Arrangement''',<ref>{{Cite web |last=DeVore |first=Olena Tregub, Marc R. |date=2025-06-04 |title=Pax Technica Is Over |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/04/russia-ukraine-war-weapons-sanctions-iran-north-korea-electronics/ |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=Foreign Policy |language=en-US}}</ref> is a [[multilateral export control regime]] governing the international transfer of conventional arms and [[dual-use technology|dual-use goods and technologies]]. It was established on 12 July 1996 in [[Wassenaar]], [[The Hague, Netherlands|Netherlands]], as the successor to the [[Cold War]]–era [[Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls]] (CoCom), which restricted certain goods to the [[Eastern Bloc]].

The Wassenaar Arrangement was established to "contribute to regional and international security and stability by promoting transparency and greater responsibility" among participating states, which coordinate their national policies to ensure certain technologies are not transferred or otherwise diverted to countries that undermine these goals.<ref name="wass15">{{cite news |url=https://www.wassenaar.org/app/uploads/2015/07/WA-DOC-15-SEC-001-Basic-Documents-2015-January.pdf |title=Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies - Basic Documents |publisher=Wassenaar Arrangement Secretariat |date=January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wassenaar.org/|title=Home - The Wassenaar Arrangement|website=The Wassenaar Arrangement}}</ref> There are 42 participating states, including many former [[Comecon]] ([[Warsaw Pact]]) countries such as Russia.<ref name="nti1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nti.org/education-center/treaties-and-regimes/wassenaar-arrangement/|title=Wassenaar Arrangement}}</ref> A secretariat for administering the agreement is based in [[Vienna]], Austria.

The Wassenaar Arrangement is considerably less strict than CoCom, focusing primarily on the transparency of national export control regimes and not granting veto power to individual members over organizational decisions; like CoCom, it is not a treaty and therefore not legally binding.<ref name="aca1">{{Cite web |title=The Wassenaar Arrangement at a Glance &#124; Arms Control Association |url=https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/wassenaar |website=www.armscontrol.org}}</ref> Every six months, member countries voluntarily exchange information on deliveries of conventional arms to non-Wassenaar members that fall under eight broad weapons categories: [[battle tank]]s, [[armoured fighting vehicle]]s, [[large-calibre artillery]], [[military aircraft]], [[military helicopter]]s, [[warship]]s, [[missile]]s or missile systems, and [[small arms and light weapons]].

== Control lists ==

The outline of the arrangement is set out in a document entitled "Guidelines & Procedures, including the Initial Elements".<ref>{{cite book|date=December 2016|chapter=Guidelines & Procedures, including the Initial Elements|chapter-url=https://www.wassenaar.org/app/uploads/2015/06/WA-DOC-17-PUB-001-Public-Docs-Vol-I-Founding-Documents.pdf#page=7 |title=Public Documents|volume=1: Founding Documents|publisher=Wassenaar Arrangement|access-date=6 April 2023}}</ref> The [http://www.wassenaar.org/control-lists/ list of restricted technologies] is broken into two parts, the "List of Dual-Use Goods and Technologies" (also known as the ''Basic List'') and the "Munitions List". The Basic List is composed of ten categories based on increasing levels of sophistication:

* Category 1 – Special Materials and Related Equipment
* Category 2 – [[Materials Processing]]
* Category 3 – [[Electronics]]
* Category 4 – [[Computers]]
* Category 5 – Part 1 – [[Telecommunications]]
* Category 5 – Part 2 – [[Information Security]]
* Category 6 – [[Sensor]]s and [[Laser]]s
* Category 7 – [[Navigation]] and [[Avionics]]
* Category 8 – [[Marine (ocean)|Marine]]
* Category 9 – [[Aerospace]] and [[Air propulsion|Propulsion]]

Basic List has two nested subsections—Sensitive and Very Sensitive. Items of the Very Sensitive List include materials for [[stealth technology]]—<nowiki/>i.e., equipment that could be used for submarine detection, advanced [[radar]], and [[jet engine]] technologies.

Within each of the categories, there are 5 types of controlled item. These are approximately as follows:
* A – Physical goods and components
* B – Plant, test equipment etc. for the production of the goods
* C – Materials typically from which the goods can be created
* D – Software used typically for the development, production or use of the goods
* E – Technology used typically for the development, production or use of the goods
The types of item B, C, D and E typically refer to the type A items, but there are many exceptions, e.g. some materials may be controlled, even though there is no specific good referred to.

The Wassenaar Arrangement List's categories are typically processed, and merged with other sources, e.g. Category 5.A.2 maps on to US [[ECCN]] 5A002, and EU control classification 5A002.

The Munitions List has 22 categories, which are not labeled.

In order for an item to be placed on the lists, member states must take into account the following 
[https://www.wassenaar.org/app/uploads/2016/01/08Criteria-for-the-Selection-of-Dual-Use-Goods-including-Sensitive-and-Very-Sensitive-Items.pdf criteria]:
* Foreign availability outside participating states
* Ability to effectively control the export of the goods
* Ability to make a clear and objective specification of the item
* Controlled by another [[Multilateral export control regime|regime]], such as the [[Australia Group]], the [[Nuclear Suppliers Group]], or the [[Missile Technology Control Regime]]

== Admission requirements ==

Admission requires states to:

* Be a producer or exporter of arms or sensitive industrial equipment
* Maintain non-proliferation policies and appropriate national policies, including adherence to:
** Non-proliferation policies, such as (where applicable) the [[Nuclear Suppliers Group]], the [[Missile Technology Control Regime]], and the [[Australia Group]]
** [[Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons]], the [[Biological Weapons Convention]], the [[Chemical Weapons Convention]] and, where applicable, [[START I]] (including the [[Lisbon Protocol]])
* Maintain fully effective [[export control]]s

The Arrangement is open on a global and non-discriminatory basis to prospective adherents that comply with the agreed criteria. Admission of new members requires the [[Unanimity|consensus of all members]].

[[India]] joined as the 42nd participating state on 7 December 2017. "Wassenaar Arrangement participating states reviewed the progress of a number of current membership applications and agreed at the plenary meeting to admit India which will become the Arrangement's 42nd participating state as soon as the necessary procedural arrangements for joining the WA are completed", the grouping said in a statement.<ref>{{cite web|last=Falconi|first=Jean-Louis|date=7 December 2017|title=Statement Issued by the Plenary Chair on 2017 Outcomes of the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies|url=https://www.wassenaar.org/app/uploads/2017/12/WA-Plenary-2017-Chairs-Statement.pdf |publisher=Wassenaar Arrangement|access-date=7 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043759/https://www.wassenaar.org/app/uploads/2017/12/WA-Plenary-2017-Chairs-Statement.pdf |archive-date=2019-03-06 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=8 December 2017|title=Wassenaar Arrangement decides to make India its member|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/wassenaar-arrangement-decides-to-make-india-its-member/article21293077.ece|newspaper=The Hindu|agency=Press Trust of India|access-date=2023-04-06}}</ref> India's application was supported by Russia, the United States, France and Germany.<ref>{{cite news|date=8 December 2017|title=India becomes member of key export control regime|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/india-becomes-member-of-key-export-control-regime-117120800044_1.html|newspaper=Business Standard|agency=Indo-Asian News Service|access-date=2023-04-06}}</ref>

== 2013 amendments ==

In December 2013, the list of export restricted technologies was amended to include Internet-based surveillance systems. New technologies placed under the export control regime include "intrusion software"—software designed to defeat a computer or network's protective measures so as to extract data or information—as well as [[Internet protocol suite|IP]] [[Computer and network surveillance|network surveillance]] systems.

The purpose of the amendments was to prevent Western technology companies from selling surveillance technology to governments known to abuse human rights. However, some technology companies have expressed concerns that the scope of the controls may be too broad, limiting security researchers' ability to identify and correct security vulnerabilities. [[Google]] and [[Facebook]] criticised the agreement for the restrictions it will place on activities like [[penetration test]]ing, sharing information about threats, and [[bug bounty program]]s.<ref>{{cite web|last=Brandom|first=Russell|date=20 July 2015|title=Google says controversial export proposal would make the world 'less secure'|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/7/20/9005351/google-wassenaar-arrangement-proposal-comments|website=The Verge|access-date=2015-07-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=28 July 2015|title=Wassenaar rules are not the right direction |url=https://www.facebook.com/uspublicpolicy/posts/1047027321981746|publisher=Facebook Public Affairs|via=Facebook|access-date=2015-07-30}}</ref> They argue that the restrictions will weaken the [[computer security|security]] of participating nations and do little to curb threats from non-participant nations.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bennett|first=Cory|date=21 July 2015|title=Cyber industry assails anti-hacking regulations|url=https://thehill.com/regulation/cybersecurity/248579-cyber-industry-assails-anti-hacking-regulations/|newspaper=The Hill|access-date=2015-07-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Brandom|first=Russell|date=22 May 2015|title=The international rules that have the security world on alert|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/5/22/8644185/wassenaar-arrangement-export-zero-day-research|website=The Verge|access-date=2015-07-30}}</ref>

== "Wassenaar minus one" ==

During 2022 and 2023, a variety of proposals for modification to the listed items were proposed within Wassenaar, but were not accepted.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Shivakumar |first1=Sujai |last2=Wessner |first2=Charles |last3=Tomoshige |first3=Hideki |title=Toward a New Multilateral Export Control Regime |url=https://www.csis.org/analysis/toward-new-multilateral-export-control-regime |language=en |date=10 January 2023 |access-date=2024-12-09}}</ref>  Several states made unilateral legislation, rather than obtaining harmonisation through the Arrangement, including:<ref>{{cite web |title=International Unilateral Export Controls—An Increased Focus on Advanced Technologies |url=https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/international-unilateral-export-controls-an-increased-focus-on-advanced-technologies |website=Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP - International Unilateral Export Controls—An Increased Focus on Advanced Technologies |access-date=2024-12-09 |language=en}}</ref>
* Spain for [[quantum computer]]s containing more than 34 [[qubits]] and error rates below a certain [[controlled NOT gate]] [[Threshold theorem|error threshold]], along with restrictions for quantum computers with more qubits and higher error rates, and cryo-computing technologies
* Netherlands for equipment for manufacturing advanced-process-node semiconductors
* US for AI chips and technology, and lasers and cameras associated with some types of additive manufacture
The corresponding proposals within WA were not accepted, due to objection from the Russian delegation.<ref>{{cite web |title=US, allies explore Russia's exclusion from Wassenaar export control regime |url=https://www.worldecr.com/news/us-allies-explore-russias-exclusion-from-wassenaar-export-control-regime/ |website=WorldECR |access-date=2024-12-09}}</ref>  Only minor and editorial changes were universally accepted.  At the time, Russia faced [[International sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine|international sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine]].

Consequently, in mid 2024 and later, many Wassenaar nations have implemented export controls corresponding to the unilateral legislation above.  These include UK<ref>{{cite web |title=NTE 2024/06: updates to UK strategic export list |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/notice-to-exporters-202406-updates-to-uk-strategic-export-list/nte-202406-updates-to-uk-strategic-export-list |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref> and Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Public Works and Government Services Canada |date=2024-06-19 |title=Canada Gazette, Part 2, Volume 158, Number 13: Order Amending the Export Control List |url=https://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2024/2024-06-19/html/sor-dors112-eng.html |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=gazette.gc.ca}}</ref>  These are classified as 'country specific', although there appears to be harmonisation of these 2024 controls across many advanced economies.  The introduction of these controls caused surprise in some circles.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sparkes |first=Matthew |date=2024-07-03 |title=Multiple nations enact mysterious export controls on quantum computers |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2436023-multiple-nations-enact-mysterious-export-controls-on-quantum-computers/ |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=New Scientist |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Grimm |first=Dallin |date=2024-07-06 |title=Mysterious quantum computing restrictions spread across multiple nations — UK cites national security risks and refuses to elaborate |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/quantum-computing/mysterious-quantum-computing-restrictions-spread-across-multiple-nations-uk-cites-national-security-risks-and-refuses-to-elaborate |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=Tom's Hardware |language=en}}</ref>  Other nations largely harmonised their export controls over the course of late 2024 and 2025.

== Membership ==

The 42 states that have been participating since December 2017 are:<ref>{{cite web|title=Participating States|url=http://www.wassenaar.org/participants/index.html |publisher=Wassenaar Arrangement|access-date=6 April 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120527005006/http://www.wassenaar.org/participants/index.html |archive-date=27 May 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flag|Argentina}}
* {{flag|Australia}}
* {{flag|Austria}} {{flagdeco|EU}}
* {{flag|Belgium}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Bulgaria}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Canada}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Croatia}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Czech Republic}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Denmark}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Estonia}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Finland}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|France}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Germany}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Greece}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Hungary}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|India}}
* {{flag|Ireland}} {{flagdeco|EU}}
* {{flag|Italy}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Japan}}
* {{flag|Latvia}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Lithuania}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Luxembourg}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Malta}} {{flagdeco|EU}}
* {{flag|Mexico}}
* {{flag|Netherlands}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|New Zealand}}
* {{flag|Norway}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Poland}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Portugal}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Romania}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Russia}}
* {{flag|Slovakia}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Slovenia}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|South Africa}}
* {{flag|South Korea}}
* {{flag|Spain}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Sweden}} {{flagdeco|EU}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Switzerland}}
* {{flag|Turkey}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|Ukraine}}
* {{flag|United Kingdom}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}
* {{flag|United States}} {{flagdeco|NATO}}

{{flagdeco|EU}} – [[European Union]] member state. {{flagdeco|NATO}} – [[NATO]] member.

===Candidates===
====Chile====
[[Chile]] has been candidate for [[Nuclear Suppliers Group]] and Wassenaar Arrangement since 2015 as part of its national commitments with the [[UNSC]] resolution 1540 of 2004. In its 2017 report to [[UN]] about prevention of arms proliferation has presented a National Plan of Action (2017–2021) that includes as targets membership to the [[Nuclear Suppliers Group]] and the Wassenaar Arrangement by 2021.<ref>{{Cite web| title=National Action Plan for the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) | url=https://www.un.org/en/sc/1540/documents/chile_action_plan.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727131300/http://www.un.org/en/sc/1540/documents/chile_action_plan.pdf | archive-date=2018-07-27}}</ref>

== See also ==

* {{annotated link|Arms Export Control Act}}
* {{annotated link|Defense Security Cooperation Agency}}
* {{annotated link|International Traffic in Arms Regulations}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Library resources box}}

* {{Official website|http://www.wassenaar.org}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}

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